


Good Company

by cordsycords



Series: Critical Role Relationships Week 2018 [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Campaign 1 (Critical Role), Gen, Post Campaign 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-24 22:35:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14963480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordsycords/pseuds/cordsycords
Summary: It's time to visit an old friend.





	Good Company

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m pregnant, not paralyzed. And besides, I’ve done this before.”

Scanlan walked along the forest path, dead grass and leaves crunching beneath his feet in the chilled autumn air of Whitestone. He stopped for a second, looking back to watch Vex, one hand on her large stomach and the other on the small of her back, hobbling along decidedly less elegantly that she would have normally.

“‘Sides, what would you do? You’re three feet tall.”

He wiggles his fingers, a wry smile on his face, “Doesn’t mean I can’t give you a hand.”

He earns a smile.

She hadn’t explained what they were intended to do, just grabbed him by the hand and pulled him out of the castle until he was able to walk on his own. She mumbled something about needing space to breathe and then turned silent the rest of the way. He knows when to take a hint.

She stops in the middle of the path, a sigh of pain escaping her lips, “Quiet down you two,” she says, rubbing the curve of her belly, “Mama’s getting tired of this.”

She does look tired, both of them do. With a two-year-old toddling around and two more on the way, not to mention an entire city depending on them, Percy and Vex are more exhausted then they’ve been in years. Scanlan doesn’t envy them.

(Though he does sometimes, when he receives the occasional arcane message from Kaylie, and he misses the days when she was a little girl, even though he wasn’t there for them.)

With a magical whisper and a flick of the wrist, a purple hand appears, holding out its pinky finger for the lady of Whitestone. She sighs, but accepts it anyway, walking down the path with renewed vigour.

A few minutes later, they arrive at a clearing in the woods. An old wooden bench sits in the middle of it, covered in leaves and dying weeds.

“Shit,” Vex swears to herself, “Haven’t been out here in awhile.” She moves to get down on her knees, but he holds out a hand to stop her, motioning for her to sit down. She does so without complaining, wrapping herself tightly within the blue wool cloak she wears around her shoulders.

It’s odd seeing her like this, he thinks. Vex isn’t Vex without her bow, white dragonhide armour, and riding leggings. She’s still braided her hair, with the feathers tucked at her ear, but she looks softer now, with the long draping dresses that belong to a lady’s attire rather than a ranger’s.

He cleans off the bench dutifully, scraping away the weeds and leaves until there’s only a pedestal of dirt around it. He then joins Vex’ahlia, sitting next to her with his legs kicking in the air. A raven caws nearby, sending a shiver down his spine.

“Lovely day for a walk in the woods,” he says.

“Thanks for coming.”

“Did I-,” he quickly decides against the quippy comment, “I needed to visit him too.”

“Percy and I have decided on names. I needed to get out here while I could still walk.”

“Y’know Pike would be better suited to this.”

She glares at him.

“What’re the names?”

“Oliver Vax’ildan and Whitney Vex’ahlia. Two sets of old twins for one new pair.”

“Whitney Vex’ahlia? Don’t you think that’s a little-“

“Her name was Percy’s idea.”

“Makes sense.”

“It’s silly,” she smiles to herself, looking up to the treetops, “I just thought he should know before anyone else. It was the same with Elaina. He would’ve been the first to know, if-“

She stops herself mid-sentence, choking on her own words. Her hands clench on top of her stomach. 

He doesn’t really know what to say, so he takes out his flute. He doesn’t have a specific song in mind, letting the notes flow as they will. The ravens accompany him, and he imagines each caw is a light chuckle or a wry smile from an old friend long passed. Vex hums along to his music, slightly out of tune but not unwelcome as her hands slowly rub her stomach, back and forth. It starts as a sad tune, a melodic minor that slowly weaves its way to harmonic and finally resolves itself around the third movement. There are two melodies, harmonizing and opposing and twisting together like lifelong friends. He tries to write it down in his head, memorize so he can give it to the court musician and have them play it for years to come.

When he’s finally finished, he feels a familiar wetness sliding down his cheek. Vex sniffles from beside him, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief before handing it over to him.

“Thanks,” he says before obnoxiously blowing his nose into it.

She laughs through her tears, “I’m pregnant, what’s your excuse, old man?”

“You’re pregnant.”

She hits him on the shoulder, but she’s still laughing. It’s happy and joyous and it fills the clearing, making the cloudy day brighter than before. In his head, he can imagine a second voice joining in, a little lower but somehow exactly the same.

Pike does her thing, and he does his.

And sometimes, you just need to laugh.


End file.
